Bottle feed mechanism for washing machines



June 3, 1958 A. E. LADEWIG 2,837,199

BOTTLE FEED MECHANISM FOR WASHING MACHINES Filed Jan. 13, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VEN TOR.

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June 3, 1958 A. E. LADEWIG 2,837,199

BOTTLE MECHANISM FOR WASHING MACHINES Filed Jan. 15, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ,8 .nl-n-i. J\

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United States Patenv BOTTLE FEED MECHANISM FOR WASHHN MACHINES Archie E. Ladewig, Waukesha, Wis., assignor to Archie Ladewig Co., Waukesha, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsm Application January 13, 1956, Serial No. 558,920

7 Claims. (Cl. 198-27) 'Ihetpresent invention relates generally to improvements in the art of mechanically handling relatively large and brittle articles, and relates more specifically to improvements in the construction and operation of mechanism for feeding successive glass receptacles such as large bottles, jugs or jars into machines for washing or otherwise treating such articles.

T he primary object of my present invention is to provide' improved mechansim for loading relatively brittle receptacles into a Washing machine or the like, automaticallyand with minimumdanger of breakage or interruption.

Many different types of mechanism for automatically delivering a succession of glass bottles of relatively small .cnpacity'intoth'e transporting pockets of bottle washing machines, have heretofore been extensively and rather successfully utilized. Due to the small size and diameter of such bottles they are of sufficient strength to resist breakage even'when subjected to considerable impact as when tilted from upright to horizontal position, so that -the';:rapid and eflective mechanical handling of these smaller bottles while avoiding excessive breakage during feeding thereof into washing units is a rather simple matter. However, when it is attempted to likewise handle .lar'ger glassjugs or jars having half-gallon and gallon capacities, many of the receptacles are damaged and the bottle loading mechanisms become jammed with broken glass, thus introducing numerous difliculties not encountered with the transfer of the smaller bottles.

It is therefore an important object of the present invent-ion to provide improved bottle feeding'mechanism which -isf-espe,cially adapted to handle half-gallon and gallon glass jugs' with utmost safety, rapidity and eifectiveness.

-1- Anotherimportant object of this invention is to prowide-simple-means-v for automatically transferring a successiomof-bulky and relatively frail receptacles from a feed conveyor to the successive receptacle transporting pockets of awashingmachine or the like, with minimum interruption of the machine.

matically and gently transforming lar e glass bottles from upright to horizontally tilted position while transferring the bottles from onelocality to another. These and other more specific objects and advantages ,of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description.

A ,clear. conception of the features constituting the present improvement, and of'the construction and opera- ;tion-ofa typical bottle washer loading mechanism embody inggthe invention, may be had by referring to the I drawings accompanying and forming a part of this specifi- 2,837,199 Patented June 3, 1958 r" ce the front end of a typical bottle washer having bottle ,cation wherein like; reference characters designate the same or similar parts in the various views.

transporting pockets a lower one of which contains a dirty bottle while an upper one contains a cleansed bottle, and the loading mechanism has one upright and one horizontal bottle thereon, while the unloading conveyor has a finally cleansed bottle disposed thereon;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary top view of the improved bottle loading mechanism and washer, showing two bottle traversing lanes; and

Fig. 3 is a similarly enlarged vertical section through the same bottle loading mechanism, taken approximately along the irregular line 3-3 of Fig. 2, but showing the mechanism in a ditferent active position from that of Fig. 1.

While the invention has been shown and described herein as being especially adapted for use in connection with washers wherein the bottle carrier pockets are horizontally disposed when receiving and delivering the botties, and which is capable of handling glass bottles of gallon capacity, it is not the intent to confine the use of the improved features to such assemblages and receptacles; and it is also contemplated that specific descriptive terms employed herein be given the broadest possible interpretation consistent with the actual disclosure.

Referring to the drawings, the type of automatic bottle washing machine to which the present improved bottle loading and unloading mechanism is particularly applicable, comprises a main casing 5 having therein an endless conveyor 6 provided with successive transverse rows of bottle carrier pockets 7 for transporting bottles 8 through several bottle soaking and cleansing zones confined within the casing 5. The conveyor 6 may be driven in a well known manner to normally advance the pockets 7, and is preferably guided near the common bottle loading and unloading end of the washer by means of rollers 9 coacting with fixed guides 10 so as to cause the carrier pockets 7-to travel in approximately horizontal condition along a substantially vertical path while the dirty bottles 8 are being injected and the clean bottles 8 are being ejected. This general type of bottle washer is not new and has long been utilized to cleanse small glass bottles in rapid succession, and the capacity of such machines may be varied by varying the number of carrier pockets 7 in the tranverse rows.

The improved bottle loading and unloading mechanism constituting the present invention is especially adapted for use in handling large glass bottles of gallon or halfgallon sizes. The present improved dirty bottle loading device comprises primarily a loading deck consisting of several laterally spaced endless belt type conveyors 12 having fixed elongated horizontal slats 13 interposed therebetween, for receiving the bottles 8 in upright position and for transporting the dirty bottles toward the washer; an elongated transfer member or plate 14 pivotally mounted at the bottle delivery end of each slat 13 and being swingable from an inclined bottle receiving position as in Fig. 3 to a horizontal bottle delivery position as in Fig. 1; means in the form of a stationary forwardly and downwardly inclined lip 15 at the delivery end of each slat 13 for gently depositing each advancing bottle in inclined position upon the adjacent inclined plate 14; mechanism for swinging and elevating the plates 14 from inclined into horizontal position; and a horizontally reciprocable pusher bar 16 for sliding the horizontally disposed'bottles 8 from the elevated plate members 14 into the adjacen carrier pockets 7.

The conveyors 12 are normally operable to advance the bottles 8 deposited in upright position upon the front end of the loading deck, toward the washer, by means of an 3 electric motor 18 and chain and sprocket drives 19 as shown in Fig. l, and the advancing upright bottles 8 are automatically arranged in parallel rows by means of vertical laterally spaced partitions 24 The elongated bottle transfer members or plates 14 are trough shaped and are all suspended from a pivot shaft 21, being periodically swingable about the axis of this shaft 21. from a rearwardly and upwardly inclined position as in Fig. 3 to elevated horizontal position as in Fig. 1, and vice versa, by means of one or more links 22 connecting a shaft 23 carried by the forward swinging ends of the plates 14 with the swinging ends of one or a pair of arms 24 secured to another shaft 25. The shafts 21, 25 are both journalled in the casing 5, and the lower shaft 25 is periodically oscillatable by means of another electric motor 26 which is geared to an upper driving shaft 27 carrying a cam 255 having a cam groove coacting with the medial portion of a lever 29 the swinging end of which is connected by a connection 39, a bell crank 31 and another connection 32 with the swinging end of an arm 33 secured to the shaft 25, see Fig. l. The lever 29 is ful-crumed on a pivot shaft 34 and the bell crank 31 is secured to a shaft 35 both journalled in the casing 5.

The swinging forward end of each transfer member or plate 14, is provided with a transverse rest 37 and with a depending arcuate apron 38, the rest 37 serving as a shelf to prevent the bottles 8 from sliding oif of the inclined plates 14 while the aprons 38 function to arrest the rows of upright bottles 8 resting upon the feed deck, while the plates 14 are being swung up and down. Each transfer plate 14 is also provided with a central opening 39 through which buffer pads 40 adjustably but normally fixedly secured to the casing are projected whenever the plates 14 are swung downwardly into inclined position as in Fig. 3, and these stationary pads 40 serve to gently break the fall of the bottles 8 while being delivered from the feed deck and tilted from upright to inclined position by the adjacent stationary lips of the slats 13. When the plates 14 are titled into bottle receiving position as in Fig. 3, the rests 37 are disposed closely adjacent to the fixed lips 15 and cooperate therewith to provide substantially continuous and approximately curved surfaces cooperable with the bottle bottoms, and which serve to protect the falling bottles against excessive impact.

The horizontally reciprocable transverse pusher bar 16 is guided for movement in horizontal slots 42 formed and located in the opposite side walls of the casing 5 so that this bar 16 will just clear the tops of the upright bottles 8 resting upon the conveyors 12, as illustrated in Fig. 1.

This bar 16 is periodically reciprocable along the slots 42 by means of a pair of levers 43 secured to an oscillatory shaft 44 and having their upper swinging ends connected to the adjacent bar ends by adjustable links :5. The shaft 44 is journalled in the casing 5 and carries an arm 46 the swinging end of which is connected by a connection 47 to the swinging end of a lever 48 the opposite end of which is also fulcrumed on the pivot shaft 34 and the medial portion of which coacts with the cam groove of another cam 28. An adjustable horizontal transverse guide shelf 49 is interposed between the delivery ends of the transfer plates 14 and the bottle receiving ends of the empty horizontally disposed carrier pockets 7, and this shelf 49 is mounted upon the front ends of arms 50 the opposite ends of which are secured to a transverse supporting rod 51.

The improved clean bottle unloading device which is located at the Same end of the'washer as the loading device, comprises primarily a transverse bottle conveyor 53 located in recesses 54 formed in the opposite side walls of the casing 5 beneath the motor 26, earn 28 and levers 29, 48, and directly above the loading mechanism; a bottle ejector 55 disposed within the casing 5 near the upper horizontal carrier pockets 7; and a series of trough shaped transfer members or plates 56 interposed between the upper carrier pockets 7 and the conveyor 53, see Fig. l. The bottle discharge conveyor 53 may be driven continuously from any suitable source, and the ejector 55 is periodically reciprocable through the adjacent carrier pockets 7 to deliver the clean bottles 8 therefrom, by means of one or a pair of levers 57 swingable about a pivot shaft 58 and having their upper ends connected to the ejector by links 59, while their lower ends are connected to medial portions of the adjacent levers 43 by connections 60. The transfer plates 56 are all swingably supported by the pivot shaft 35 and are periodically oscillatabie by the bell crank 31 from rearwardly and upwardly inclined position as depicted in Fig. l, to approximately vertical position closely adjacent to the conveyor 53, and each of these plates 56 is provided with a rest 61 at its lower end for preventing the bottles 8 from sliding off.

When the improved bottle loading and unloading devices have been properly constructed, assembled and applied to a washing unit of the type hereinabove described, the electric motors 18, 26 may be operated to drive the bottle transfer devices and the washer may also be operated in a well known manner to intermittently advance the bottle carrier pockets 7. The dirty bottles 8 may then be deposited indiscriminately in upright position upon the forward portion of the conveyors 12 forming the feed deck of the loading zone, and as the normally operating conveyors 12 advance the bottles 8 toward thewasher, the partitions 20 arrange the receptacles in parallel rows which are in vertical alinement with the transfer plates 14 and with the corresponding pockets 7. Whenever the transfer plates 14 are swung downwardly into the position shown in Fig. 3, the rearrnost bottles 8 resting upon the feed deck, are gradually tilted and gently transferred by the adjacent lips 15 of the slats 13 and by the adjacent foot rests 37 onto the corresponding buffer pads 40 disposed within the troughs of the plates 14. The loaded plates 14 are subsequently swung upwardly into horizontal position as in Fig. 1, thereby causing the aprons 338' to arrest the rearward advancement of the upright bottles 8 on the conveyors 12 while also disposing the elevated bottles 8 in hori zontal position rearwardly of the pusher bar 16 and in alinement with the adjacent empty horizontal pockets 7. The pusher bar 16 is subsequently movedrearwardly into engagement with the horizontally disposed bottles 8 and gently pushes them over the guide bar 49 into the momentarily stationary empty receiving pockets 7.

After the successive pockets 7 have thus beenloaded, they carry the confined bottles 8 downwardly and through the successive soaking and cleansing zones of the washer in a well known manner, and as the pockets 7 carrying the clean bottles 8 are brought into the position shown at the top in Fig. l, the ejectors 55 are moved forwardly through the adjacent pockets 7 and slide the clean bottles 8 gently from within these momentarily stationary pockets onto the adjacent forwardly and downwardly inclined transfer plates 56. Thereafter the ejectors 55 are withdrawn, and while the pockets 7 are subsequently being advanced downwardly by one row distance, the transfer plates 56 will be elevated into approximately upright position to place the clean bottles upon the conveyor 53 and the transfer plates 14 will be simultaneously'lowered, while the pusher bar 16 will also be returned to its foremost position. This cycle of operations of the bottle loading and unloading devices is repeated automatically and methodically with utmost precision to gently inject the dirty bottles 8 into the empty carrier pockets 7 and to eject the clean bottles 8 from the loaded carrier pockets, with minimum impact and breakage danger.

From the foregoing detailed description of the construction and operation of the typical improvedbottle loading and unloading devices, it should be apparent that the present invention in fact provides simple but highly efiective mechanism for safely transferring the successive bottles 8 from the feed deck conveyors 12 to gem-9a the adjacent empty pockets 7 and 'fromi the adjacent bottle laden pocketsto the discharge conveyor 53; The provision of the lips 15 at the delivery end of thefeed deck and their cooperation with the foot rests 37 of the inclined transfer plates 14, are important factors in avoiding excessive bottle breakage; and the buffer pads 40 also aid in reducing such breakage to a minimum. The aprons 38 carried'by the transfer plates 14 efiectively serve to stop the advancing rows of upright bottles 8 resting upon the feed deck; and the location of the pusher bar 16 and the movement thereof in a horizontal plane above and rather close to the tops of the upright dirty bottles 8 makes it possible to position the final bottle discharge conveyor 53 low enough so as to be constantly observed and readily reached by the attendant. The invention is especially applicable when handling large gallon or half-gallon glass bottles or jars and has proven highly satisfactory and successful in'actual commercial use.

It should be understood that it is not desired to limit this invention to the exact details of construction and operation of the bottle loading and unloading devices herein specifically shown and described, for various modifications within the scope of the appended claims may occur to persons skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. In a loading mechanism for a washer having bottle conveying pockets for receiving the bottles in approximately horizontal condition, a conveyor deck operable to advance bottles resting inv upright position thereon horizontally toward the successive pockets of the washer, a transfer member having a lower forwardly projecting end shelf and being interposed between the delivery end of said deck and the empty receiving pockets and periodically movable from an inclined position with its front lower end shelf beneath said deck delivery end to an approximately horizontal position in alinement with said receiving pockets, a stationary guide plate having a rearwardly and downwardly inclined lip projecting beyond the delivery shelf'of said deck and terminating adjacent to but slightly above said lower member end, means for periodically moving said member to elevate the successive bottles deposited thereon by said deck and guide plate from partially tilted position into alinement with said receiving pockets, and means for transferring the elevated bottles into said pockets.

2. In a loading mechanism for a washer having bottle conveying pockets for receiving the bottles in approximately horizontal condition, a conveyor deck having laterally spaced fixed slats provided with rearwardly projecting downwardly inclined ends and also having endless chains movable along a path terminating in advance of said slat ends for advancing bottles resting in upright position upon the deck toward the successive pockets of the washer, a transfer member having a lower forwardly projecting end shelf and being interposed between the delivery end of said deck and the empty receiving pockets of the washer and periodically movable from an inclined position with its front lower end shelf disposed slightly beneath the projecting slat ends to an approximately horizontal position in alinement with said receiving pockets, means for periodically moving said member to elevate the successive bottles deposited thereon in partially tilted position by said slat ends upwardly into alinement with said receiving pockets, and a pusher cooperable with the successive elevated bottles to transfer the same'into said pockets.

3. In a loading mechanism for a washer having bottle conveying pockets for receiving the bottles in approximately horizontal condition, a conveyor movable to advance bottles resting in upright position thereon toward the successive pockets of the washer, a rearwardly and downwardly inclined fixed slat extending downwardly away from and beyond the delivery end of said movable t 6 I upwardly projecting front end shelf'and being" inter posed between said conveyor end and the empty receiving pockets of the washer and periodically movable from an inclined position with its front end shelf disposed be.- neath but spaced slightly from the lower end of said slat to a horizontal position in alinement with said 11:- ceivlng pockets, means for periodically moving saidmember to elevate the successive bottles deposited thereon by said conveyor from partially tilted position into alinement with said receiving pockets, and means for transferring said alined bottles into said pockets.

4. In a loading mechanism for a washer having bottle conveying pockets for receiving the bottles in approximately horizontal condition, a conveyor movable to constantly advance bottles resting in upright position thereon horizontally toward the successive pockets of the washer,

a swinga'ble pivotally suspended transfer member having a lower upwardly projecting shelf and being interposed between and beneath the delivery end of said conveyor and the empty receiving pockets of the washer and periodically movable from an inclined position to an approximately horizontal position in alinement with said receiving pockets, means for periodically swinging said member about its suspension pivot to elevate the successive bottles deposited thereon by said conveyor from partially tilted position into horizontal position in alinement with said receiving pockets, an arcuate apron carried by and depending from said member shelf and providing a positive stop for the upright bottles resting upon said moving conveyor, and a reciprocable pusher for transferring the elevated bottles into said pockets.

5. In a loading mechanism for a washer having bottle conveying pockets for receiving the bottles in approximately horizontal condition, a conveyor movable to advance bottles resting in upright position thereon horizontally toward the successive pockets of the washer, a swingable pivotally suspended partially open transfer member interposed between the delivery end of said conveyor and the empty receiving pockets of the washer and being periodically movable from an inclined bottle receiving position to an approximately horizontal position in alinement with said receiving pockets, a stationary bumper disposed to pass through and being coopera'ble with said member when in inclined bottle receiving position to cushion the bottles deposited upon the member by said conveyor, means for periodically swinging said member about its suspension pivot to elevate the bottles deposited thereon from tilted position into horizontal position, and means for transferring the elevated bottles into said pockets.

6. In a loading mechanism for a washer having bottle conveying pockets for receiving the bottles in approximately horizontal condition, a conveyor movable to advance bottles in upright position horizontally toward the successive pockets of the washer, a centrally open pivotally suspended transfer plate interposed between the delivery end of said conveyor and the empty receiving pockets of the washer and being periodically movable from an inclined position to an approximately horizontal position in alinement with said receiving pockets, 2. stationary pad disposable centrally through and above said plate to cushion the bottles deposited upon the plate by said conveyor, means for periodically swinging said member about its suspension pivot to elevate the bottles deposited thereon from tilted position into horizontal p sition, and means for transferring the elevated bottles into said pockets.

7. In a loading mechanism for a bottle washer having a series of bottle conveying pockets attached to endless conveying chains for receiving unwashed bottles in approximately horizontal posit-ion, a bottle conveyor located forwardly and below the bottle receiving pockets and being movable to advance bottles resting in upright po sition thereon toward the successive bottle receiving pockconveyor, a movable transfer member having a lower ets of the washer, a pivotally suspended partially open 7 transfer member for receiving hottlesvfrom. theini-tial eon: veyor in an inclined position with the open end of the bottles uppermost, a stationary pad disposable through saidJnember when in bottle receiving position for cushioning the bottles delivered from said conveyor, a horizontal-1y movable pusher bar located above the upright gbottles resting upon the conveyor and above the inclined transfer member, means for periodically swinging said transfer member about its suspension pivot to elevate the successive bottles deposited thereon from partially tilted position into horizontal alinement with the bottle receiving pockets and into the path of the forwardly moving pusher bar, means for intermittently operating the p usher bar incorrect timing with the alining motion of said transfer member-to, pushthe elevated bottles from the transfer member into the bottle receiving pockets, means fortreturning said transfer member to its initial bottle receiving position, and means for returning the bottle UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,359,238 Grutt er May 17, 1932 1,910,958 Meyer etal. May 23, 1933 2,124,423 Ladewig et a1. July 19, 1938 2,681,723} McCabe June 22, 1954 

